Hope you had a restful International Day of Yoga 2025.
Introduction — Why Yoga Is More Than a Trend
Many Yoga in person sessions pop up, Livestreams appear, and apps refresh their “sun-salute” playlists, and Yoga rockets up the charts.
It’s easy to think yoga is simply another skill you can download. Yet the Bhagavad Gita reminds us that the heart of yoga is not information but living wisdom, passed hand-to-hand through a lineage (paramparā) of seekers and teachers.
Just Two Verses on Lineage
imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam
vivasvān manave prāha manur ikṣvākave ’bravīt 4.1
evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ
sa kālena eha mahatā yogo naṣṭaḥ parantapa 4.2
Translation:
“I taught this imperishable yoga to the sun-god Vivasvān; Vivasvān instructed Manu, and Manu taught King Ikṣvāku. Thus the royal sages knew it through the chain of discipline. But over time, O conqueror of foes, that yoga was lost.”
The Gita’s point is clear: even the most luminous truth can fade when the chain of teacher → student → lived experience breaks.
Knowledge vs. Wisdom: A Modern Lens
Knowledge is cheaper than ever. A search bar, a GPT prompt, a weekend workshop—data arrives instantly. Wisdom is different. It requires friction, feedback, and failure.
Knowledge + Experience = Wisdom
Think of it like asana practice: watching a video teaches how to align your spine, but feeling the subtle release in your own body—guided, adjusted, reflected upon—turns data into insight.
The Chain of Wisdom Today
1. Mentor ↔ Mentee Loops
Join a local or virtual class where feedback flows both ways. Use tech (Zoom, AI feedback tools) to augment but not replace live guidance.
2. Embodied Experimentation
Try a pose, notice sensations, iterate. Wisdom grows in the gap between repetition and revelation.
3. Service & Transmission
Teach a friend or a mentee what you just learned. Explaining crystallizes experience into wisdom—and restarts the lineage.
Conclusion
Yoga’s future doesn’t hinge on faster bandwidth or crisper video; it hinges on each of us stewarding the wisdom we inherit. Celebrate IDY 22025 all year by honoring the paramparā: gather knowledge, live it fully, and pass it on. That is how yoga—like a well-kept flame—stays alight through the ages.
Happy practicing, and may your knowledge always ripen into wisdom.
Suresh
Yoga is a way of life. My life revolves around Karma, Bhakti and Gnana yogas.